18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 384

By the end of the day, Julia still couldn't shake the feeling that Daniel resented her mother for remarrying and raising her with another man. It left a bad taste in her mouth.

She doubted he genuinely accepted her and her mother. With his high-ranking position, he didn't need their company. Bringing them in was probably just his way of settling an old score, payback for being abandoned.

As a prominent official, Daniel had no shortage of women. With a mere flick of his finger, a line of young, beautiful ladies would be at his beck and call. Her mother wasn't exactly a spring chicken, just a widow who sought him out after her husband's death. If she were Daniel, she'd be disgusted too.

What really got under Julia's skin was that ever since they joined the Kindle Society, her mother had been completely wrapped up in Daniel, not giving a second thought to her daughter's future.

Daniel wanted her to enlist, and despite knowing Julia couldn't handle the rigor, her mother still took his side.

Julia asked for a cushy job, but Daniel wouldn't pull any strings, and her mother defended him, saying a man of his stature had to lead by example.

In the end, it seemed a daughter could never compete with a man.

The irony was, her mother was still hopelessly in love, while Daniel couldn't care less.

Unaware of her daughter's thoughts, Lillian massaged her temples in frustration. "Stella again, causing endless trouble?"

Stella had always been her bane. If Lillian had known it would come to this, she would have risked an abortion rather than giving birth to this contrarian curse.

Julia wanted to grab hold of her chances, but her would-be suitor had walked away mid-conversation. Was she supposed to cling to him like some desperate siren?

"Soldiers may be simple and brainwashed into thinking they must sacrifice themselves for their country, but what's wrong with being a little forward in love?" Lillian advised, speaking from experience. "It's just a thin veil between a woman chasing a man. If he agreed to the match, he's either interested in you or in leveraging your connection to the old man. You need to seize this opportunity."

Julia feigned hesitation. "But he didn't even leave his contact info."

"That's an easy fix. I'll have Claire set up another meeting, just the two of you this time."

Lillian patted her daughter's hand gently. "Julia, you're 27 now. Don't be shy when you need to take charge. Soldiers may be a bit dense, but they're reliable. If he dares to shirk responsibility, the base will have your back. What's there to fear? He won't have a choice but to marry you." Julia understood her mother's insinuations and plotted accordingly. "Maybe we should arrange it at Claire's place? That way, we have witnesses?"

Pleased her daughter was catching on, Lillian smiled contentedly. "Yes, be smart about it, and I'll be there to help you."

Staring at the flickering candles and a slice of cake, Lillian was lost in a reverie of the days when she first fell for Daniel, a time of innocence and bliss long gone-now just a memory, marred by the catastrophic times that had disfigured them both, leaving only their scarred shells. Julia retreated to her room, tossing and turning in her bed, unable to sleep as Stella's face haunted her thoughts.

She hated her!

Stella had humiliated her in that upscale neighborhood, forcing her to eat filth and stripping away her dignity. And now she had the nerve to show up at the base, shaming her in public and threatening to usurp her identity.

No, without the status of Daniel's daughter, Julia had no chance of survival, let alone securing a prosperous marriage for a carefree life.

Even if she denied everything, Stella was a ticking time bomb, and Daniel was not easily fooled.

Stella had to go. She had to die. There was no time to waste.

The more she thought about it, the more her face twisted in malice. "Stella, I swear I'll kill you!"

Meanwhile, Stella was blissfully unaware of Julia's venomous thoughts as she sat down for dinner, only to sneeze repeatedly.

Rubbing her nose, she muttered, "Someone must be talking behind my back."

Having spent enough time around her, Jasper cracked a half-joke, "Must be Julia."

"Definitely her," Stella agreed, sure that Julia was cursing her somewhere.

But she wasn't concerned; within the safety of the base, even the scavengers didn't dare to cross lines, let alone the brainless Julia.

Gossip was one thing, but Stella had endured worse over the years. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder how Julia seemed to be living so comfortably after all this time.

With the world in ruins, Julia's unchanged venomous stupidity was evidence of a powerful backer. The shopping center was under military jurisdiction, and military families were given job preference-no doubt Julia had used her connections to land a job many would envy. Stella chuckled at the thought of Julia throwing herself at the young, handsome officer, unable to contain her laughter.

She recalled Bran, during one of his drunken rants to Austin, boasting about his past romantic escapades-from celebrities to models, he spared no details. The women from the villa who fancied him were numerous.

"Bran, you wouldn't believe the number of women who throw themselves at me. That one with the alpacas, always coming on to me, so annoying. You have no idea, man. She tried so hard to hook me that her whole family got involved, threw pool parties in the scorching heat, stripping down right in front of me.

Such a shame, though. I've seen all kinds of women. Hers, in particular, just turns my stomach."

A tipsy Austin chimed in, "I believe it. Her family's pool party? They bought ice and fresh water from me."

Stella, who dealt in ice and water, thought, "How unfortunate!"

During a lull, she gossiped with Jasper, "Who do you think is backing Julia? She seems to live quite comfortably without any real skills."

If she had a sugar daddy, she surely wouldn't be so openly seeking a husband.

Jasper, indifferent and clueless, replied, "No idea. Once we get our points from the tests, we'll just buy a submarine and leave."

True, Julia was just an insignificant sideshow, not worth derailing their grand plans.

But as the saying goes, the tree craves calm, yet the wind will not cease. The news of their replace had spread through the scavenging community, and every day brought more people knocking at their door. Opportunists, recruiters, and all manner of troublemakers showed up.

Ignoring the clamor outside, Stella and Jasper remained silent upstairs, while Cooper, the lazy dog, slept soundly as if dead.

Two days passed in this fashion, and after breakfast, they headed to the trade center's scavenging weigh station...